Closure latch



May Z8, 1968 S. F. BURNS ETAL.

CLOSURE LATCH Filed Nov. 8. 1966 ATTORNEY United States Patent O M' 3,385,623 CLOSURE LATCH Sylvester F. Burns, Rochester, and Lester M. Goeman,

Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich., assignors to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Filed Nov. 8, 1966, Ser. No. 592,850 5 Claims. (Cl. 292-216) ABSTRACT F THE DISCLGSURE An automobile door latch includes a rotatable latch selectively held in latched position by ya handle-operated pawl lever. The bolt may also be held in latched position by a locking lever which is selectively biased toward either a bolt-detenting position or a released position by an overcenter spring connected between the locking lever and a rotatable member on the support operated by the pawl lever. The locking lever may be manually moved between its `positions by ya garnish button or a key lock. 'Rotation of the bolt upon closing of the door shifts the bias of the overcenter spring to locate the locking lever in released position if the rotatable member is not operated by the pawl lever. Operation of the paWl lever rotates the control member to a position wherein the overcenter spring locates the locking lever in bolt-detenting position so that keyless locking may be accomplished.

This invention relates to closure latches and more particularly to vehicle body door locks.

The lock of the preferred embodiment of this invention includes rotatable latch means and detent means which may be controlled by either inside or outside operating means to permit release of the latch means. The lock further includes blocking means movable between blocking and released positions with respect to the latch means. When the blocking means are in blocking position, the latch means cannot be released even though the detent means are released.

Biasing means selectively and alternately bias the blocking means to either blocking or released position, and a rotatable control member is provided for selecting the bias of the biasing means on the blocking means to control the position of the blocking means relative to the latch means when the door is closed.

The biasing means interconnects the control member and the blocking means and by selecting the rotative position of the control member, the direction of bias of the biasing means on the blocking means can be selected.

When the door is closed and the operator does not actuate the outside operating means, the control member normally locates the blocking means in released position or normally automatically undogs the blocking means.

Other features of this invention will be readily apparent from the following specification and drawings wherein:

lFIGURE 1 is a partial side elevational view of a truck cab embodying a closure latch according to this invention;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged partially broken away view of a portion of FIGURE 1 showing the blocking means in blocking position;

FIGURE 3 is a view of a portion of FIGURE 2 showing the blocking means in blocking position when the 'door is in open position and the operator has selected keyless locking;

FIGURE 4 is la view taken generally along the plane indicated by line 4 4 of FIGURE 2; and

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged perspective view of a portion of FIGURE 2.

Patented May 28, 1958 ICC Referring now particularly to FIGURE l of the drawings, a conventional truck cab designated includes a front door 12 which is mounted adjacent its forward edge 14 on the body 10 for movement between a close-d position, as shown, and an open position, not shown, to provide `access to the interior of the truck cab. The door 12 is held in closed position by a closure latch designated generally 16 according to this invention.

As shown in FIGURE 2, the closure latch 16 includes a main frame or plate 18 which abuts the inner surface of the end wall or lock pillar 20 of door 12 and is secured thereto by a number of bolts 22 extending into clinch nuts 24 secured to the frame 18. The frame 18 includes an integral inner annular housing portion 26 and also a conventional outer housing portion, not shown. Latch means designated generally 30 are rotatably mounted at 32 between the end walls of the housing portion 26 and the outer housing portion. The latch means include an outer gear type bolt portion, not shown, located in the outer housing portion, a ange or disc portion 34 rotatable in the opening of housing portion 26 generally coplanar with frame 18, and an inner toothed ratchet portion 36. The details of the inner and outer housing portions and of the latch means are not shown since they are conventional and in current production use.

The outside operating means include a pawl lever 38 pivotally mounted at 40 on the frame 18. A coil torsion spring 42 surrounds the pivot 40 and has one end thereof hooked within a notched lateral tab 44 of frame 18 and the other end thereof engaging a lateral tab 46 on an upwardly extending arm 48 of `lever 38 to bias the lever clockwise about the pivot 40. The lever is located against the action of the spring 42 by engagement of the outer edge of the arm 48 with a rubber bumper covered lateral tab 50 of frame 18. The lever 38 further includes a lower arm 52 which terminates in ta foot or shoulder 54 adapted to engage an edge or surface 56 of one of the teeth of the ratchet portion 36 to thereby hold the latch means 30 against clockwise rotational movement. IWhen the ydoor is in closed position, the gear type bolt portion of the latch means engages a toothed plate or other portion of conventional striker means mounted on the body pillar Wall. By blocking clockwise rotational movement of the latch means 30, the foot 54 maintains the -door in closed position by preventing the bolt from moving along the toothed portion of the striker means. The details of the striker means are not shown since it is in current production use and therefore well known in the art.

The lever 38 also includes an inwardly extending offset arm 58 which includes upper and lower tabs or extensions 60 and 62. The inside operating means include a bellcrank lever 64 pivotally mounted at 66 on a lateral flange 68 of frame 18. One arm of lever 64 overlies the upper tab l60 of lever 38. The other arm of the lever 64 is con-l nected by a rod 70, FIGURE l, with an inside remote handle 72 mounted on the inner panel of door 12. Upon movement of the handle 72 in the proper direction, the rod 70 is shifted forwardly of the door 12 to swing the lever 64 about the pivot 66 `and in turn swing the lever 38 counterclockwise about pivot 40 to released position shown in FIGURE 3 by engagement of the one arm of the lever 64 with the tab 60 of the lever 38. When the lever 38 is moved to released position, the foot 54 moves out of engagement with the surface 56 to permit the latch means to rotate clockwise relative to the striker means and permit the door 12 to be moved to an open position.

Lever 38 may be released from outside the cab 10 by a push button assembly mounted in an outside door handle 74, FIGURE l, mounted on the outer panel of door 12. The push button assembly includes a push rod 76,

3 FIGURE 2, which is engageable with the tab 46 to swing the lever 38 counterclockwise about the pivot 40 as previously described.

The latch further includes detent or blocking means which are selectively operable to either permit or prevent clockwise rotational movement of the latch means 30 when lever 38 is moved to released position. The blocking means include a locking lever 78 pivotally mounted at 80 on the frame 18. The lever includes a tooth or projection 82 which engages an edge 56 of one of the teeth of the ratchet portion 36 when the lever 78 is in blocking or detented position as shown in full lines in FIGURE 3 and in dash lines in FIGURE 2. The lever is movable from this position to a released or nonblocking position shown in full lines in FIGURE 2 wherein the tooth 82 does not block clockwise rotational movement of the latch means 30.

A coil type overcenter torsion spring 84 has one lateral end 86 thereof fitting within a notch in an arm 88 of lever 78 and the other lateral end 90 thereof fitting within a notch in a control member desi-gnated 92. When the lever 78 is in its detented or blocking position shown in dash lines in FIGURE 2, it can be seen that the direction of biasing force of the spring 84 is to the left of a line through the pivot 80 and the end 90 of the spring so as to bias the lever 78 counterclockwise about the pivot 80 and into engagement with the edge 56 of the tooth of the ratchet portion. Likewise, when the lever 78 is in its nonblocking or released position as shown in full lines in FIGURE 2, the end 86 of the spring 84 is located to the right or other side of the line through the pivot 80 and the end 90 of the spring so that the spring exerts a biasing force on the lever 78 tending to rotate the lever clockwise about the pivot 80 and into engagement with the annular housing portion 26 of the frame 18.

The lever 78 may be moved between its detented and released positions from the outside of the cab by conventional key cylinder means 94, FIGURE 1, which include a rotatable rod 96, FIGURE 2, receivable within a laterally extending bifurcated ilange 98 on the outer end of the lever. Likewise the lever may be moved between its detented and released positions from the inside of the body by a conventional garnish button 100, FIGURE l, mounted on the inner panel of door 12 and connected to the inner end of the lever 78 by a shiftable rod 102. The key cylinder means and the garnish button provide for selecting the position of the lever 78 relative to the latch means when the door is either in closed position or in open position. As will be later described, control means are provided to permit the operator to select the position of the lever 78 relative to the latch means should the lever be moved to its detented position by either the key cylinder means or garnish button when the door is in an open position and the door thereafter closed.

The details of the control member are shown in FIG- URES 4 and 5. This member includes a plate portion 104 having extending from one side thereof a hub portion 106. Both the plate portion and the hub portion are apertured so as to rotatably mount the control member on a pin or stud 108 which is fixed to the frame 18. The other side of the plate portion 104 includes an integral circular rib 110 which is in bearing engagement with the arm 58 of lever 38. Extending from this other side of the plate portion is an integral laterally extending projection or abutment 112 which extends transversely of the tabs 60 and 62 of lever arm 58 and is normally located adjacent tab 62.

When the control member is in its normal position shown in FIGURE 2, it can be seen `that the spring 84 exerts a bias on the member tending to rotate the member clockwise about the pivot pin 108. The member is located against the bias of the spring 84 by the engagement of an edge portion 114 of the member with the flange 68 of frame 18. When the control member 92 is rotated counterclockwise to its temporary position shown in FIGURE 3, the other edge 116 of the member engages a lateral tab 118 of frame 18 to locate the member in this position against the bias of spring 84.

The control member 92 is rotated from its normal position to its temporary position shown in FIGURE 3 by engagement of the lower edge of tab 60 with abutment 112 upon counterclockwise movement of the lever 38 about pivot 40 to released position. It will be remembered that the lever 38 is movable to this position either by the inJ side operating means or by the outside operating means.

The control member 92 and the outside operating lever 38 provide a control means for the spring 84 to permit the operator to select either of the features of keyless locking or automatic undogging as will now be described.

Assume now that the door is in open position and that the operator has actuated either the garnish button or the key cylinder assembly 94 to move the lever 78 to its detented position wherein the tooth 82 of the lever engages a tooth of the ratchet portion of the latch means, as shown in dash lines in FIGURE 2. If the operator thereafter closes the door, the engagement of the bolt portion of the latch means 30 with the toothed portion of the striker means on the body will rotate the latch means 30 in a counterclockwise direction. As the latch means rotates in this direction, the cam edge 120 of the tooth of the ratchet portion 36 will cam the lever 78 clockwise about the pivot 80. As soon as the end 86 of spring 84 passes from the left to the right of the line through the end 90 of the spring and the pivot 80, spring 84 will go overcenter and bias the lever 78 to its released position, shown in full lines, as well as maintain the lever in this position as the door is closed. Thus, automatic undogging is obtained. During this movement of the latch means, one or more of the edges 120 of the teeth of the ratchet portion 36 will intermittently cam the foot 54 of lever 38 outwardly as this foot moves into and out of engagement with one or more edges 56 until the door is in a fully closed position.

Assume now that the door is again in open position, that the lever '78 has been moved to its detented position and the operator engages the push button assembly to swing the lever 38 counterclockwise to its position shown in FIGURE 3 before the door is closed. When the lever 38 is moved to this position the control member 92 will be moved to its temporary position shown in FIGURE 3. In this position it will be noted that the end 90 of the spring has been moved to the right so that the end 86 of the spring is further to the left of a line through the end 90 and the pivot 80. When the operator keeps the push button depressed and thereafter closes the door, the lever 78 will again, of course,be cammed clockwise about the pivot 80 by the edge 120 of the ratchet portion 36. However, since the line between the end 80 of the spring and the pivot 80 has been shifted or moved further to the right, the end 86 cannot cross over to the other side of this line. Thus the projection 82 will continuously ratchet over the teeth of the ratchet portion until the door reaches a fully closed position. When the door reaches this position, the spring 84- will return the lever 78 to its detented position and the operator can then release the push button assembly. Thus, keyless locking is obtained, Depression of the push button assembly to swing the lever 38 will not permit opening movement of the door since this will be blocked by the engagement of projection 82 of lever 78 with the ratchet portion edge 56.

The control member 92 will, of course, be rotated from its position of FIGURE 2 to its position of FIGURE 3 each time that the lever 38 is rotated counterclockwise. When the lever 78 is in its released position, rotational movement of the control member will have no effect on the lever 78.

The control means are also, of course, not operable on the lever 78 unless the latch means 30 are rotated in a counterclockwise direction. This can only occur when the door is in an open position and is closed.

Thus, this invention provides an improved vehicle body door lock.

We claim:

1. A closure latch comprising, in combination, support means, latch means rotatably mounted on the support means for movement in opposite rotative directions between latched and unlatched positions, blocking means movably mounted on the support means for movement between a blocking position, wherein said blocking means block rotative movement of the latch means in one rotative direction and permit movement in the opposite rotative direction, and a released position wherein said blocking means permit movement of said latch means in either direction, cooperating means on the blocking means and the latch means for moving the blocking means to released position upon movement of the latch means in the opposite rotative direction, biasing means operable to selectively and alternatively bias the blocking means to blocking position or to released position, and control means operable upon movement of the blocking means by the latch means to select the bias of the biasing means on the blocking means and control the position of the blocking means relative to the latch means upon cessation of movement of the blocking means by the latch means.

2. The combination recited in claim l wherein the biasing means normally bias the blocking means to released position and the control means are selectively operable to select a bias of the biasing means on the blocking means maintaining the blocking means in blocking position.

3. The combination recited in claim 1 wherein the blocking means are rotatably mounted on the support means and biasing means are operable to selectively and alternately exert biasing forces rotating the blocking means in opposite rotative directions about the pivotal axis of movement thereof.

4. The combination recited in claim 3 wherein the biasing means are operatively interconnected between the control means and the blocking means and the control means are movable to selected positions relative to the support means to control the direction of biasing force of the biasing means on the blocking means and control the direction of rotative movement of the blocking means.

5. The combination recited in claim 3 wherein the control means include a control member movably mounted on the support means, the biasing means being operatively interconnected between the control member and the blocking means, and the control means include selectively operable means for rotating the control member relative to the support means to control the direction of biasing force of the biasing means on the blocking means and control the direction of rotative movement of the blocking means relative to the support.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 906,010 12/1908 Gray 292--280 2,344,532 3/ 1944 Brantingson 292-198 2,989,860 6/ 1961 France. 3,334,935 8/1967 Eddy 292-216 FOREIGN PATENTS 599,719 7/ 1934 Germany.

RICHARD E. MOORE, Primary Examiner. 

